A tribute to and catalogue of the works of Alexander "Hugin" Wieser, founder of ambient black metal band Uruk Hai and many other side-projects, including Hrossharsgrani, Hrefnesholt, Elisabetha, B-Machina, Ceremony of Innocence and more!
Here you will find my thoughts on his work and details on the releases as drawn from items in my personal collection, forming a fuller catalogue of his work than is currently available elsewhere online

Friday, 23 March 2012

MARCH TO WAR

Band:URUK HAITitle: March To WarFormat: A single-sided 12" vinyl pressing self-released by W.A.R. Productions in 2010. The vinyl comes with a blank centre panel, and is housed in a white sleeve. The outer sleeve is plain black, with two colour card panels having been affixed to give the front and rear artwork. Each item is hand-signed and numbered by Hugin on the reverse.Edition:Only 5 hand-numbered copies

Track Listing:01. March To War 12.3102. Death Is Just Another Path... 8.01

As the polydactyl dwarf who lurks in the castle dungeons is prone to remark, you really can count the number of Hugin's vinyl releases on the fingers of one hand....

This very limited edition from 2010 is one of the rare few, and came at an eye-watering price in a tiny fan-edition of just 5 copies, all signed and hand-numbered by the man himself. Nicely crafted, and for the obsessive collector just the thing to add to the treasure horde!

Those of you who were not able to lay hands on a copy should not fret, however, as the two tracks contained within are fairly widely available on other releases: both songs appear on the split releases between Uruk Hai and Sieghetnar and Funeral Fornication respectively, whilst the tape version of "Black Blood, White Hand" also has the two as bonus tracks, albeit 'March To War' in an edited format. The hard to find "Black Blood, White Hand" release party CD "Death Is Just Another Path" also contains the songs.

You'll also come across the pair on two further releases, both of which are yet to be covered in Honour and Darkness. The first is the metal-box set "Angband", long overdue a review in these pages and something that Nazgul will have to get on with. The second place is on the just-released 6CD box-set "Everlasting Wrath Of The Tyrant", which has assumed almost legendary status in the length of time from being announced to being unleashed. It's well worth the wait, however, as a future post will reveal....

The Tolkien-themed musical odyssey of the songs has been well documented in past posts, so rather than repeat himself Nazgul urges you to revisit his earlier musings on the other releases mentioned above if you need a reminder of the epic majesty contained within.

In conclusion, I suppose you could see "March To War" as something of an indulgent luxury; a thank-you, if you will, from Hugin to his die-hard customers for their support over the years. The cunning pun in the title (not only a march to battle, but a trip to W.A.R. Productions too) is augmented by the fact that this review comes in the month of March: not so cunning, but a happy coincidence!